Sunday Morning Dawg

This dog lays down so funny. Both sets of legs stretched out, front and rear. It's like he wants his belly on the cool ground. Of course, with his coat of fur that might be exactly what he's going for.



For the sisters, here's the Sunday Morning Dawg.

Purple Heart

There's some question in the online community if the service members killed or wounded by the traitor Hasan are eligible to receive the Purple Heart.

So, researching the criteria, we learn that a person becomes eligible for the Purple Heart when one of the following conditions are met and the service member is wounded or killed:

1. In any action against an enemy of the United States.
2. In any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged.
3. While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
4. As a result of an act of any such enemy of opposing armed forces.
5. As the result of an act of any hostile foreign force
6. After 28 March 1973, as a result of an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of the Army, or jointly by the Secretaries of the separate armed services concerned if persons from more than one service are wounded in the attack.
7. After 28 March 1973, as a result of military operations while serving outside the territory of the United States as part of a peacekeeping force.

It seems that the only criteria that might apply would be criteria # 6, and I doubt that the Secretary of the Army will recognize this as a terrorist attack.

Those persons eligible for the Purple Heart have my undying gratitude, but I don't think that those killed or wounded at Fort Hood will be eligible for the award.

But, that's just my opinion.

Busy Days Ahead

PawPaw's going to be working some long hours today and tomorrow. My school is hosting their 34th annual debate tournament and kids from all over the state are scheduled to descend on us this afternoon. It'll be midnight before I get the kids cleared out tonight and they'll be debating all day long tomorrow.

I'll be working the whole time. It's all part and parcel of doing the job.

Afternoon work

I spent part of the afternoon at Momma's place, cleaning up deadfall wood. She had a huge oak tree that was struck by lightning two years ago and, frankly, it's too big to move by hand, even cut up into 24" sections. The trunk was probably 24" across and each piece weighs in the neighborhood of 200 lbs. Dense, hard, oak. We used the blade of the tractor to push the bigger pieces close enough to stack on the pile. There is still a lot of wood on the ground. I've got to come up with a plan to get that stuff stacked to burn.

We cleaned up what we could, stacking limbs and bits and pieces on the stump to burn later. I'm feeling it right now in my back and shoulders.

Afterwards, we took the tractor to the back. Barrett let Quinton steer the tractor and I stood on the bush-hog. The game camera captured the whole operation.



Tomorrow, it's back to work. I probably won't see this place in daylight until Sunday.

Writing

I haven't written anything worth reading the past several years, but today I put what I hope are the finishing touches on an article about the .30-06 cartridge and rifle. Hopefully my editor and I can get it tweaked and it will be published soon.

PawPaw's readers can get a sneak-peek by clicking here. Go read.

Let me know what you think. Click on links and tell me if they all work.

It's November 10th!

Happy Birthday, Marines.

Go hoist a few with your jarhead buddies. You've earned it.

Veteran's Day

Our school had a Veteran's Day presentation today. The featured guest was Senior Master Sergeant James Haynes, US Army Air Corps. He sat there in the front row of seats in a maroon American Legion tunic, unassuming, quiet, just a little old man with a lot of history.

Towards the end of the presentation, we learned that he is a Bataan Death March survivor. The students gave him a standing ovation. After dismissal, I went over and shook his hand.

There are very few of that generation left. I am honored to have known a few of them, but very honored to shake Mr. Haynes hand.

Stain and odor

If you've got a pet, you know all about stains and odor. Our little dog is really good about being house-trained, but still. Accidents happen.

Then, I find that we can buy this.



I didn't know you could get Pet Stain and Odor in a bottle! Why do we need the dog?

Cop-Killer

The Confederate Yankee asks a good question and at the risk of plagiarism, I'm going to ask the same question. First, a little background. It's becoming common knowledge that the traitor Hasan used a FN FiveSeven pistol in his rampage at Fort Hood.

This little pistol fires a small-caliber cartridge with a projectile weighing about 30 grains and sends it out at about 2100 fps. (There are variations in the ammo and the muzzle velocities, but these rough figures are good for our purposes. You can follow the links for more precise information.) This is a fairly anemic little round, as handgun ammo goes. My .45 ACP throws a 230 grain slug and my .357 magnums throw either a 158 or 180 grain slug, with much more downrange energy than the 5.7 mm ammo used in the FiveSeven.

Yet, the media is trumpeting the little pooper-pistol as a "COP KILLER".

Ft. Hood terrorist used a cop killer FN-Five Seven tactical pistol—20 round clip

'Cop Killer' Gun Used In Ft. Hood Shooting, Officials Said

Now, I don't know of any police officer that's ever been shot with the FN 5.7 round, with the possible exception of Sergeant Kimberly Munley, who stopped this traitor with her service pistol. Sher herself was shot stopping him.

She wasn't killed, thankfully.

SO, if only one cop has ever been shot with this ammo and NO cops have ever been killed with it, how does it qualify as COP-KILLER ammo?

Or, is the media just being dishonest with the American people?

Rain

The weather weenies are telling us that Hurricane Ida will cross the Gulf and we'll start seeing the effects of it. Rain. Some wind, but mostly rain. With all the water in the rivers and streams now, that rain will be mostly unwelcome.

I suspect I'll need my raincoat today. The rest of you, stay safe.

Game Cam Pics

I checked the game camera at Momma's house today. Deer continue to use the feeder, both at night and in the morning, based on moon phase and things that deer know and respond to.

Here's a picture of a nice little doe in the treeline.



Then, of course, there's that shot of the little buck in perfect profile. I really like that picture.



I'm still not completely satisfied with the way this camera takes night-time shots, but the deer don't seem to be afraid of the infrared flash. Here's a shot of the back of a doe's head taken shortly after 2:00 a.m. in the morning.



Cool, huh?

Health Care bill

I see the House passed a health care bill yesterday while I was hunting. Geez, I take one day off and Pelosi tries to wreck the economy. Hopefully, saner minds will prevail in the Senate.

Our Founding Fathers foresaw events such as this and organized our national government so that bills such as this might never come to fruition. It's one thing to pass a bill in the raucous, free-wheeling House, where by design it's organized on partisan lines. Whichever party has the majority can pass nearly anything they like, whether it makes good sense or not. Carry that same bill over to the Senate (which has been called the greatest deliberative body in the history of mankind), and passage isn't nearly so easy. Senators, as a general rule, are supposed to be more deliberative than their upstart counterparts in the House. House members represent districts with all the political baggage that carries. Senators represent states. There is a huge difference.

My sitting House member is plainly a moron, and no, I haven't checked to see how he voted on this bill. My opinion of him was set at the last Tea Party I attended, when he tried to defend pork-barrel politics and was booed nearly off the stage. The man isn't smart enough to assay the mood of a crowd.

Of my two senators, one is a sleaze who was named as a patron of prostitutes. The other is a dynastic politico tied to New Orleans politics. Her staff has no clue as to the proper way to answer a simple email. They're idiots and the simple fact that she employs idiots is enough to convince me that she's an idiot also. Which may not be fair to all the other idiots, being tarred with the same brush.

But, Pelosi managed to pass a health care bill. Good for her. I'm sure our President will pat her on the head and tell her she's a good minion. Like my dog, who lives only for Milady's praise, I'm sure Pelosi has no clue what she's done except that he has her Master's praise.

The nature of Politics in this country has sunk to new lows. I'm amazed that the Republic might survive.

Sunday Morning Dawg

It's a pleasant, sunny morning in Pineville and Milady is taking her coffee on the back porch. The dog isn't sure whether he wants to be inside, which is his preferred climate, or outside with his mistress. So, he sits by the back door and stares into the house.

He needs a haircut.



We'll be on the way to church soon and later today I'll go to Momma's place and see if there are any pics on the game camera.

I hunted all day yesterday, from before dawn until after dark. No game, but I spent a day in the woods. I didn't so much as check email yesterday, which for me is almost unheard of. Yesterday was a very good day.

Sergeant Kimberly Munley, Hero

Recent reports indicate that the person who stopped the traitorous officer was a female police officer, Sergeant Kimberly Munley. She's a hero deserving of our praise and respect.

Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, rushed into the building and confronted the shooter as he was turning a corner, Cone said. ... Cone said Munley’s aggressive response training taught her that “if you act aggressively to take out a shooter you will have less fatalities.”

LTG Cone is right. I've been trained in active shooter response and the school answer is to confront and engage the shooter at the earliest opportunity. We put pressure on the shooter in the form of fire and make him focus his attention off of his potential victims and on to us.

Sergeant Munley is a true hero. I wish her a quick and full recovery and I'll pray that she returns to duty soon. We need more cops like her.

Fort Hood

I just got home from a basketball game and heard news all over the gymnasium that there was a terrible mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Driscoll's got a round-up at Pajamas Media.

My prayers, of course, are with the good soldiers who were injured this day by an enemy in their midst. A traitorous, cowardly enemy who cloaked himself in our colors. God has a special place in hell for such a person.

Evidently, the shooter was an army officer, and a medical doctor. Earlier I had heard that he was killed. Later reports indicate that he's in stable condition at an undisclosed hospital.

I'm a retired officer and the thought of another officer hurting GIs makes me physically ill. Enraged, outraged. I might stress my soldiers, I might make them sweat blood and tears. I'd keep them up late, work their butts off, train them till they puked, but I would never, ever hurt one of my soldiers. That is unthinkable.

I have no problem with an enemy trying to damage my force by stealth, strength, tactical excellence, or surprise. That's the nature of warfare. I do have a problem with a traitor in our midst. This Major Nidal Hasan is the most reprehensible of traitors.

He swore an oath, by God, and he has abrogated that oath in the most heinous way imaginable. I'm glad he's alive because now he cannot claim martyrdom. He's alive, by the grace of God, and he'll pay. I want him Court-Martialed, stripped, cashiered, sentenced and forced to work at hard labor for the rest of his worthless life.

On a diet of pork.

Frustrating

It's frustrating to work in a place where no one understands police work. It's one thing to be blissfully unaware of things that don't affect you. I'm blissfully unaware of lots of things that don't affect me, but I don't inflict my lack of insight on people who care about such things.

The educators have their job to do and I have mine. What I find particularly frustrating is when someone asks me to get involved in something then fails to bring me up-to-date immediately when the situation changes. In short, if you report something stolen and ask me to work the case, and shortly thereafter that property is recovered, I'd really like to know about it. Immediately. That's kind of important. I'd also like to interview the person who recovered it while they're holding it in their hot little hands.

Geez!

I love my job, but sometimes these people frustrate the hell out of me.

Boudin

Milady and I went out to Momma's place to put some corn in the feeder today. No joy on the camera, but the feeder is working.

On the way home, passing through Holloway, we saw a new business, Dustin's Specialty Meats, so we pulled in to see what was available. It's an old-style butcher shop. One fellow was trimming steaks on a cutting board and a woman was putting fresh cracklings (fried pork skin) in a paper bag for another customer.

Dustin and I talked about processing deer. He processes deer, but tells me that the health department won't let him hang the deer carcass in the same walk-in cooler with graded meats. Dustin wants the deer dressed and skinned in an ice-chest and properly tagged. I told him we could do that, then the conversation turned to supper. Dustin sells boudin, a regional sausage, and he makes it himself.

Boudin is cajun sausage and comes in two basic varieties. Red boudin and white. Dustin, as do most butchers, sells the white version. It's a rice based sausage, with pork and just enough chicken liver for taste. It contains onions and peppers and each butcher's recipe varies enough that there is no standard boudin. Everyone has his or her own secret recipe.

Dustin makes good boudin. We bought four links, then brought them home and put them in the oven for a half-four. Boudin is fresh sausage and putting it in the oven helps crisp the casing. I ate mine with saltine crackers and a big class of iced tea.

If you ever find yourself traveling though Holloway community in northeast Rapides Parish, give Dustin a try.

Politics

Tip O'Neal once said that all politics is local, and there is certainly some truth to that statement.

We've got gubernatoral races in New Jersey and Virginia, and special congressional elections in some other states. Lots of folks are saying that if the Republicans do well in those elections, then maybe the party has turned the corner. Others disagree. Most famously the Associated Press.

For Republicans, an election win of any size Tuesday would be a blessing. But victories in Virginia, New Jersey or elsewhere won't erase enormous obstacles the party faces heading into a 2010 midterm election year when control of Congress and statehouses from coast to coast will be up for grabs.

They're right. The GOP faces enormous obstacles, not the least of which is the disenchantment that lots of us have with our local politicians. Lots of us haven't forgotten the way the Republicans went on a spending spree the last time that they were in charge.

My own Congress-critter, Rodney Alexander, (R-LA) thinks that pork should be spelled PORC, (Projects of Regional Concern). He was booed very nearly off the stage at the last tea party I attended. Personally, I'm voting against Rodney the very next chance I get, along with voting against David Vitter and Mary Landrieu. I'm in a "throw the bums out" mood when it comes to incumbents.

My problem, even though I'm registered Republican, is because I've been too damned lazy to go to the Courthouse and change my affiliation to Independent. If I had to categorize myself, I'd probably say that I'm Conservative. I think most Americans simply want the government to leave them alone to live their lives. I think that 90% of the legislation passed these days is worthless on its face. No one is interested in true reform of any type. It seems to me that what most politicians are interested in is holding on to their office. There aren't any statesmen left.

Yeah, the Republicans have problems and their biggest problem is guys like me who are registered Republican but became disgusted with the whole lot of them.

Game Camera Pics

No joy on the game camera this week. Evidently the motion sensor will take pictures of raindrops. Luckily, I had a few pics of rain, then the batteries died. I put in fresh batteries, reset the clock, and put corn in the feeder. I only had a little corn, so I'll go out tomorrow afternoon and restock the feeder, then change the card in the camera again. Hopefully we'll have some pictures.

Sunday Morning Dawg

More abuse of the dog. Of course no one abuses the animal, but we call his nightly scratching, "abusing the dog".

Here the dog is allowing his nightly abuse,this time at Milady's hands. Sorry her eyes are closed for the photo, she blinked.



Doesn't he look like he's in pain? Extreme distress? Yeah, I thought so.